Date & Time:
May 8, 1955
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
44-108869
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Baltimore – Columbus
MSN:
12538
YOM:
1944
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
0
Pax on board:
10
Pax fatalities:
1
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
The aircraft was completing a flight from Baltimore to Columbus on behalf of the Ohio National Guard. All occupants were returning to base after a rifle team competition in Maryland. En route, an engine failed, forcing the captain to ordered all passengers to bail out. After the last occupant jumped, the crew reduced his altitude and attempted an emergency landing when the aircraft struck trees and crashed in a dense wooded area located about 15 miles east-southeast of Barnesville. All four crew members were injured and a passenger (Sgt Thurl W. Starcher) whose parachute failed to open was killed.
Probable cause:
Engine failure in flight.
